First Aid Measures for Bites and Stings

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First Aid Measures for Bites and Stings
from St. Mary's County Family Day Care Association, Inc. Newsletter May 2000 Issue

Animal	Wash the wound with soap and water. Notify parents to pick up the child and seek medical advice. If bite is from a bat, fox, raccoon, skunk, or unprovoked cat or dog, or any animal that may have rabies, call the health department, which will contact animal control to catch the animal and observe it for rabies. Do not try to capture the animal yourself. Make note of the description of the animal and any identifying characteristics (whether dog or cat had a collar, for example).

Human:	Wash the wound with soap and water. Notify parents. If bite causes bleeding, contact the health department for advice.

Insect	Do not pull out stinger as it may break off; remove the stinger by scraping it out with a fingernail or credit card, then apply a cold cloth. Notify parents. Call 911 if hives, paleness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, difficult breathing, or collapse occurs.

Snake:	Call local poison control center. Do not apply ice. Notify parents immediately, then the health department. If the child has difficulty breathing, call 911.

Ticks	Notify parents to seek preferences. If parents approve, try to remove tick with tweezers.

Waterlife:	For stingray or catfish stings, submerge affected area in warm water to deactivate the toxin. For other stings, such as from jellyfish, rinse with clean water. Call parents to seek medical care.